Laser chemical processing for microelectronics [Book Review]

Summary form only given, as follws. This book is a compilation of chapters by several authors consisting of a general introduction to laser-based processing and four chapters that discuss in detail several important areas of research into the possible application of lasers in microelectronic fabrication. The topics covered include metal deposition using metal-acetylacetonate precursors, laser direct writing, photocarrier-driven wet etching, and laser doping. Each of these areas is well described and ample references to the original literature are provided. Especially thorough treatments are provided on metal deposition, where discussions range from fundamental chemical considerations to deposit morphology, and laser direct write, where the discussions include detailed thermal modeling and real-time optical diagnostics of the depositing films. Indeed, the reviewer feels the chapter on direct write alone would be sufficient justification for acquiring the book. Two additional topics would be required for complete coverage of important laser chemical processing, however. Wet chemical processes that use the laser as a heat source (thermal processes) or to photolytically generate the active etchant species (photochemical processes) are only mentioned in passing. More significantly, the area of dry etching is omitted entirely. Since dry processing is the backbone of semiconductor fabrication, a chapter covering the many laser-driven dry processes that have been studied would have made this a more complete overview of potentially useful laser applications. Nevertheless, this book is a worthwhile addition to the laserprocessing literature.